A tool and method for detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip from two hooks on a film spool

Abstract: A tool (10) for detaching a trailing end portion (26) of a filmstrip from at least one hook atop a ramp (46) on a film spool (40) inside a film cartridge. This detachment occurs when the tool (10) is inserted inwardly through a film ingress/egress slot (35) in the cartridge. The tool (10) includes a flexible element having a leading first portion (12) followed by a wider second portion (14) each configured to be successively inserted inwardly through the slot of the cartridge (36) beneath a film section in the slot such that when the wider second portion (14) is forced to slide up the ramp (40) on the spool the leading first portion will push the trailing end portion (26) of the filmstrip off the hook atop the ramp (40).

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the field of photography, and more particularly to a tool for detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip from two hooks each atop a ramp on a film spool inside a film cartridge. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In conventional photographic film cartridges, a photographic filmstrip is wound on a spool within the cartridge. A trailing end portion of the filmstrip is secured to the spool. When it is time to process and print the images captured on the filmstrip, the filmstrip is permanently detached from its associated film cartridge. Typically, this detachment has been accomplished by tearing or cutting the image bearing portion of the filmstrip from the trailing end portion of the filmstrip. The main body of the filmstrip is processed and printed while the film cartridge, spool and filmstrip trailing end portion are discarded or recycled. U.S. Patent 4,685,209 is directed to a film picker for removing a film from a film cartridge, which includes a pair of flexible plates that are used to capture the leading end of the film. PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION It is desirable to be able to reattach the filmstrip to the spool and rewind the filmstrip into the film cartridge. As such, the film is protected, for example, during transport from processing to printing or during storage by the customer. When the filmstrip is cut or torn from the spool, the trailing end of the filmstrip, having a specific geometry which enables it to be attached to the spool, is damaged or lost. Consequently, the filmstrip cannot be reattached to the spool and rewound into the film cartridge. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention, a tool is provided for detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip from a pair of spaced hooks atop a ramp on a film spool inside a film cartridge. The spool includes a retention lug positioned between the pair of hooks which pushes the middle section of the filmstrip in a downward direction. This detachment occurs when the tool is inserted inwardly through a film ingress/egress slot in the cartridge. The tool includes a flexible element having a leading first portion followed by a wider second portion associated with each hook. Each leading first portion is configured to be successively inserted inwardly through the slot of the cartridge beneath a film section in the slot such that when the wider second portion is forced to slide up the ramp on the spool the leading first portion will push the trailing end portion of the filmstrip off the hook atop the ramp. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE. 1 is a schematic representation of a tool for detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip from a cartridge spool; FIGURES. 2A and 2B represent alternative embodiments of the lead portion of the tool of FIGURE 1; FIGURE. 3 is a schematic representation of a trailing end portion of a photographic filmstrip; FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a film cartridge with film being removed therefrom; and FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the film cartridge of FIGURE 4 in which slack has been imparted into the filmstrip. FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the tool of FIGURE 1 being used to remove the trailing end portion of FIGURE 2 from a cartridge spool; FIGURE 7 is a side view of the tool of FIGURE 1 being used to remove the trailing end portion of FIGURE 2 from a cartridge spool; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE. 1 shows a tool 10 for detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip from a film spool inside a film cartridge. The tool is a flexible member made of a material such as plastic. The flexible member includes leading first portions 12 followed respectively by wider second portions 14. Preferably, the leading first portions are rounded to facilitate insertion into a film cartridge. The second portions are followed by a third portion 16 which extends from the second portions. Preferably the second portions are each tapered from the third portion to the first portion. Third portion 16 defines a slot 18 which extends from an end of the second portions into the third portion. Third portion 16 also defines an aperture 20 which extends lengthwise along the third portion. A pin 21 extends into the slot and is movable along the length of the slot to move tool 10 into and out of a film cartridge. FIGURES 2A and 2B represent alternative embodiments of the lead portion of tool 10. In FIGURE 2A, a slit 22 and hole 24 replace slot 18 of FIGURE 1. In FIGURE 2B, there is no slot 18, slit 22 or hole 24 in third portion 16. Turning now to FIGURE 3, a trailing end portion 26 of a photographic filmstrip is displayed. The trailing end portion has a pair of hook apertures 28 and a detachment perforation 30. With regard to FIGURES 4 and 5, a pair of metering nip rollers 32, under the control of a logic and control unit (LCU) 33, are rotated by a motor M to withdraw a filmstrip 34 from a film ingress/egress slot 35 in a film cartridge 36. When filmstrip 34 has been withdrawn to the point where only about one wrap of filmstrip remains on a spool 40, detachment perforation 30 in filmstrip trailing end portion 26 is sensed by a sensor 38. Sensor 38 includes, for example, a light emitting diode and a charge coupled device. When sensor 38 detects detachment perforation 30, the sensor signals LCU 33 which causes motor M to stop rotating rollers 32, locking the filmstrip in place. LCU 33 then actuates an angular positioning device, such as a stepper motor S, which accurately positions spool 40 at a predetermined angular location. Accurately positioning the spool serves two functions. First, spool 40 is positioned so that tool 10 can be inserted into the spool for detachment. Second, rotation of spool 40 by stepper motor S causes a small amount of slack to be imparted into the trailing end portion of the filmstrip. Having slack in the trailing end portion of the filmstrip facilitates removal of the trailing end portion from spool 40 by releasing the back side of hook apertures 28 from hooks 42. This approach to imparting slack into the film eliminates the need to reverse the direction of the filmstrip. Additionally, there is no precise motion control needed for the film handling system. Turning now to FIGURES 6 and 7, a description will now be provided as to how tool 10 is used to remove trailing end portion 26 from spool 40. Figure 6 shows filmstrip trailing end portion 26 secured to spool 40 by a pair of hooks 42 (one hook is hidden from view) on spool 40 which protrude through hook apertures 28 in the filmstrip trailing end portion. The trailing end portion of the filmstrip is held on hooks 42 by a retention lug 44 which pushes a middle section of the filmstrip in a downward direction. In order to insert tool 10 into cartridge 36, pin 21 is moved against an end 20a of aperture 20 (see FIGURE 1). Figure 7 shows the pin secured to a threaded nut 37. Nut 37 is threadingly engaged by a lead screw 39 which is driven by a motor 41. After spool 40 has been positioned by stepper motor S, LCU 33 actuates motor 41 which rotates lead screw 39. Rotation of the lead screw causes nut 37 and pin 21 to move in the direction of an arrow A. When pin 21 engages end 20a of aperture 20, tool 10 is moved towards cartridge 36. Tool 10 is pushed against filmstrip trailing end portion 26 as the tool is being inserted into the cartridge such that the filmstrip trailing end portion assists in guiding tool 10 into film ingress/egress slot 35. Tool 10 is inserted, leading first portions first, into film ingress/egress slot 35 of cartridge 36. Tool 10 is further inserted into spool 40 such that second portions 14 of the tool respectively slide up a pair of ramps 46 (one is hidden from view) on spool 40. The tapering of second portions 14 (a) provides reliable tool movement along ramps 46 and (b) greatly reduces the chance that hook apertures 28 will get caught and damaged on the second portions. As second portions 14 slide up ramps 46, first portions 12 of tool 10 engage the filmstrip trailing end portion 26 to remove the filmstrip trailing end portion from hooks 42. Slot 18, or slit 22 and hole 24, allows the trailing end portion of the filmstrip to deform around retention lug 44 on spool 40 when the trailing end portion of the filmstrip is pushed off of hooks 42. The slack in the filmstrip trailing end portion facilitates removal of the trailing end portion from the hooks. When tool 10 has been fully inserted into cartridge 36, LCU 33 stops rotation of lead screw 39. After the filmstrip trailing end portion has been removed from hooks 42, pin 21 is moved away from end 20a of aperture 20 to a position between end 20a and an end 20b. The pin is moved by LCU 33 causing motor 41 to rotate lead screw 39 in an opposite direction. Movement of the pin to this position does not move tool 10, but allows the tool to be moved at a later step (described below). LCU 33 then causes motor M to rotate rollers 32 to withdraw the filmstrip trailing end portion from spool 40. The movement of the filmstrip trailing end portion causes first portions 12 and second portions 14 to likewise be withdrawn from the spool because the frictional forces between the tool and filmstrip cause the two to move in unison. By removing the tool from the spool at the same time the filmstrip trailing end portion is removed, the filmstrip trailing end portion is prevented from getting snagged on tool 10 or hooks 42. Tool 10 is then completely removed from cartridge 36 by moving pin 21 against end 20b of aperture 20. There are advantages to using a flexible tool verses a rigid tool. With a flexible tool, the spool and film will not be damaged if the flexible tool is engaged into the spool in an improper position. The filmstrip trailing end portion and spool features guide the tool into the proper detach position, eliminating the need to accurately position a rigid tool. The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. PARTS LIST FOR FIGS. 1-7 10 tool 12 leading first portions 14 wider second portions 16 third portion 18 slot 20 aperture 20a aperture end 20b aperture end 21 pin 22 slit 24 hole 26 filmstrip trailing end portion 28 hook apertures 30 detachment perforation 32 metering nip rollers 33 logic and control unit 34 filmstrip 35 film ingress/egress slot 36 film cartridge 37 nut 38 sensor 39 lead screw 40 spool 41 motor 42 hooks 44 retention lug 46 ramps M Motor S Stepper motor

Claims: A tool (10) for detaching a trailing end portion (26) of a filmstrip (34) from a pair of spaced hooks (42), each atop a respective ramp (46) on a film spool (40) inside a film cartridge (36), when said tool (10) is inserted inwardly through a film ingress/egress slot (35) in the cartridge (36), said spool (40) including a retention lug (44) positioned between said pair of hooks (42), which pushes a middle section of the filmstrip (34) in a downward direction, said tool comprising: a flexible element having a leading first portion (12) followed by a wider second portion (14) associated with each of said spaced hooks (42), said leading first portion (12) and second wider portion (14) being configured to be successively inserted inwardly through the slot (35) of the cartridge (36) beneath a film section in the slot such that when the wider second portion (14) is forced to slide up the ramp (46) on the spool (40) the leading first portion (12) will push the trailing end portion (26) of the filmstrip (34) off the hook (42) atop the ramp (46). The tool of claim 1, wherein said flexible element includes a third portion (16) extending from said second portions (14), said third portion (16) having an aperture (20) running lengthwise along said third portion (16), said aperture (20) being engageable by a pin (21) such that when said pin (21) is moved against one end of said aperture (20), said first portions (12) and second portions (14) are inserted inwardly through said film ingress/egress slot (35) in the cartridge (36), when said pin (21) is moved to a position between said one end of said aperture (20) and an opposite end of said aperture (20), said first portions (12) and second portions (14) can be withdrawn from said spool (40) by moving said trailing end portion (26) of said filmstrip (34) out of said spool (40), and when said pin (21) is moved against said opposite end of said aperture (20), said first portions (12) and second portions (16) are withdrawn from said film ingress/egress slot (35). The tool of claim 2, wherein said second portions (14) are tapered from said third portion (16) to said first portions (12), thereby allowing said second portions (14) to more easily slide up said ramps (46). The tool of claim 2, wherein said third portion (16) defines a slot (18) extending from ends of said second portions (14) into said third portion (16), said slot (18) allowing said trailing end portion (26) of said filmstrip (34) to deform around a retention lug (44) on said spool (40) when said trailing end portion of the filmstrip is pushed off said hooks (42). The tool of claim 2, wherein said third portion (20) has a slit (22) extending from ends of said second portions (14) into said third portion (16), said slit (22) allowing said trailing end portion (26) of said filmstrip (34) to deform around a retention lug (44) on said spool (40) when said trailing end portion (26) of the filmstrip (34) is pushed off said hooks (42). The tool of claim 1, wherein ends of said first portions (12) away from said second portions (14) are rounded such that said first portions (12) can be inserted into said film ingress/egress slot (3) without becoming jammed. A method of detaching a trailing end portion of a filmstrip (26) from a pair of spaced hooks (42), each atop a ramp (46) on a film spool (40) inside a film cartridge (36), said spool (40) including a retention lug (44) positioned between said pair of hooks (42), which pushes a middle section of the filmstrip (34) in a downward direction, said method comprising the steps of: providing a tool (10) which includes a flexible element having a leading first portion (12) followed by a wider second portion (14) associated with each of said spaced hooks (42); inserting said tool (10) into an ingress/egress slot (35) of said film cartridge (36) beneath a film section in the slot such that the wider second portion (14) associated with each of said spaced hooks (42) is forced to slide up the respective ramp (46) on the spool (40) and the leading first portion (12) pushes the trailing end portion (26) of the filmstrip (34) off the hook (42) atop the ramp (46); and removing said trailing end portion (26) of said filmstrip (34) from said film cartridge (36). The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of: imparting slack into said trailing end portion (26) of said filmstrip (34) inside said film cartridge (36) prior to pushing said filmstrip trailing end portion (26) off said hooks (42) thereby facilitating the removal of said filmstrip trailing end portion (26) from said hooks (42). The method of claim 7, wherein said removing step causes said first portions (12) and second portions (14) to be removed from said spool (40) thereby allowing said filmstrip trailing end portion (26) to be removed from said spool (40) with minimal interference from said first portions (12), said second portions (14) and said hooks (42).

Inventors: MERLE THOMAS CLARK, ROWDEN DAVID LAWRENCE, RYAN DALE WILLIAM, MERLE, THOMAS CLARK, ROWDEN, DAVID LAWRENCE, RYAN, DALE WILLIAM, MERLE, THOMAS CLARK, C/O EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, ROWDEN, DAVID LAWRENCE, C/O EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, RYAN, DALE WILLIAM, C/O EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Applicants: EASTMAN KODAK CO, EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G03B17
IPC codes: G03D13, G03D15, G03B17